Goldilocks Price Range

[johnwoitalla]

I'm of the opinion that scopes(new) in the $400 to $800 range are where the best bang for the buck are living. That being said, I made the mistake of shopping around and found the Zeiss Conquest V4's focus from 10yds to infinity, but they are in $1,200 price range! I have absolutely no reason to get a new scope, but I still want one. I dropped a major dime on my FX King, and I want some shiny new glass. It is currently topped with a very cabable Meopta Optika 5, but the image quality of those scopes is average at best, my Leupold EFR has way better resolution/contrast than my Meopta.

 

[Tumblinginflight]

A few notes on Zeiss and the Conquest V4 line. Prices are all over the place, but they can sometimes be had for less than $1000, and it’s not uncommon to see them new or “demo” new for even less. That said, double check the parallax stats. Some do have a 10yd minimum, but others are 50yds. Maybe you already noticed that. I have one with the T20 reticle, and it is uncomfortably fine. Very personal, but no amount of ocular tuning makes it easy to pick up. I use some very fine reticle, high magnification, F-class type scopes, and none are as difficult for me to see as the T20. The last note is that Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH is going to phase out optics production at their Wetzlar facility by the end of 2026. Not sure what effect- if any- that will have on their Japanese produced lines. Could mean nothing, could mean there are some better deals coming.

 

[Mr.H]

Check out Tract Optics. I am super impressed with their Tekoa HD line of SFP scopes. I'm not sure if these are currently on sale, but when they are, they can be had for around $500. They have a FFP version called Toric, about $800 retail. They are consumer direct--no middle man. And they have a no bs return policy: you try it out, if you don't like it, return it in 30 days=full refund, no questions asked

 

[jarmstrong]

I also like that price range, as I just ordered a Tract tekoa w/duplex be here Tues
I have a element nexus gen 1 in the classifieds, great glass, and turrets,,, but the reticle ffp is too fine for my aging eye sight, would be great for paper shooters but I just shoot bad birdies out to 50 yds max, mostly 30-35 yds
got the meopta Optika 5 on my Kozak but would not mind changing it out because , it is the reticle, fine lines and a big center dot,,, we will see how I like the Titan, before I sell the meopta
have owned the lower price Discovery , victor veyron , Aim Point alpha, I am not going back,, not bad mouthing them or those who like them, it is a personal choice and a little more $
the Optisan cp line is nice but I don't care for those dots dropping down like a minimal Christmas tree,,, gees I am picky, but the Optisan is staying on the carbineized HW44
got a Valient Zepher 5-20x50SFSIR that also has fine line reticle, she will be next to sell

 

[Mr.H]

I also like that price range, as I just ordered a Tract tekoa w/duplex be here Tues
I have a element nexus gen 1 in the classifieds, great glass, and turrets,,, but the reticle ffp is too fine for my aging eye sight, would be great for paper shooters but I just shoot bad birdies out to 50 yds max, mostly 30-35 yds
got the meopta Optika 5 on my Kozak but would not mind changing it out because , it is the reticle, fine lines and a big center dot,,, we will see how I like the Titan, before I sell the meopta
have owned the lower price Discovery , victor veyron , Aim Point alpha, I am not going back,, not bad mouthing them or those who like them, it is a personal choice and a little more $
the Optisan cp line is nice but I don't care for those dots dropping down like a minimal Christmas tree,,, gees I am picky, but the Optisan is staying on the carbineized HW44
got a Valient Zepher 5-20x50SFSIR that also has fine line reticle, she will be next to sell

Just a heads up on that scope from Tract. The focusing knob is locking, you have to pull it out to adjust it and then you can push it back in..

 

[JimD]

I do not have any scopes that cost more than $330 new but I have several I really like. My Arken EP4 6-24 was $330 and it is a nice scope. Glass is as good as anything I have, adjustment is very positive. I do not like the visibility of the reticle at 6X, it is too fine in my opinion (FFP) and adjustments are a bit stiff but it is still a very nice scope. My favorite target scope is an Athlon Argos 10-40 that I got on sale for $300. My Athlon Talos 6-24 was also on sale for $200 when I bought it and the glass is about as good as the two $300 scopes. If you shop carefully I think there are some nice choices even under $300 and certainly for $300-350. Maybe I'll move up and change my mind but I expect to be using these scopes for years.